how do i copy a windows registry

by Lisa Cole Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago

How to Copy Registry from One Computer to another

Open the Start Menu. Type "regedit" in the text field at the bottom of the menu. Press "Enter".
Scroll to the top of the left window and click "Computer" if you want to export the entire registry.
Type a file name for the registry file in the "File Name" text field. ...
Copy the ".reg" file to the destination computer using email, direct transfer over a network or removable media such as a USB thumb drive or CD.

In Registry Editor, locate and click the registry key or subkey that you want to back up. Select File > Export. In the Export Registry File dialog box, select the location to which you want to save the backup copy, and then type a name for the backup file in the File name field. Select Save.

Full Answer

How to copy registry from one computer to another?

How to Copy the Registry From One Computer to Another 1 Open the Start Menu. Type "regedit" in the text field at the bottom of the menu. ... 2 Scroll to the top of the left window and click "Computer" if you want to export the entire registry. 3 Type a file name for the registry file in the "File Name" text field. ... More items...

How do I back up a registry key?

In Registry Editor, locate and click the registry key or subkey that you want to back up. Click File > Export. In the Export Registry File dialog box, select the location to which you want to save the backup copy, and then type a name for the backup file in the File name field. Click Save.

How do I export the registry from my computer?

Scroll to the top of the left window and click "Computer" if you want to export the entire registry. Click the arrows next to each key to expand the registry and click to highlight the key you want to export if you want to save and copy a specific registry entry.

How do I restore the registry in Windows 10?

Choose System Restore. Back up the registry manually, or create a restore point. Click Start, type regedit.exe in the search box, and then press Enter. If you're prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

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Can I copy registry from one computer to another?

Can you move registry software info from old computer to new one? Yes you can do it, but whether it is practical or will even work is a different matter. You can move each registry branch (or single keys) by navigating to them in Regedit, choosing File=>Export and saving as a . reg file.

How do I copy a registry key?

Open the Registry Editor.Select the appropriate registry key, or My Computer (to export the entire registry)Select File, Export from the menu bar or right-click on the appropriate registry key and select Export.Browse to the directory to save the file to and enter a File name.Click OK to create the export file.

How do I Export a single registry key?

Using Export in the Registry EditorOpen the Registry Editor. You can get there by hitting Windows + R, typing "regedit" into the run box and clicking OK.Navigate to the registry key or value that you wish to export and select it. ... Select Export from the File menu.Name the file and click Save.

How do I copy data from registry?

How to Copy the Registry From One Computer to AnotherOpen the Start Menu. Type "regedit" in the text field at the bottom of the menu. ... Scroll to the top of the left window and click "Computer" if you want to export the entire registry. ... Type a file name for the registry file in the "File Name" text field. ... Copy the ".

Where are the Windows registry files?

On Windows 10 and Windows 7, the system-wide registry settings are stored in files under C:\Windows\System32\Config\ , while each Windows user account has its own NTUSER. dat file containing its user-specific keys in its C:\Windows\Users\Name directory. You can't edit these files directly.

How do I Export my entire registry from the command line?

Type “regedit” to open the registry editor and press Enter. Click File > Export. In the dialogue box, enter a name for the backup file (for example “rgbkp2018”), select the location where you want to export registry file and click Save to create and save the backup.

Where is the registry key in Windows 10?

How to open Registry Editor in Windows 10In the search box on the taskbar, type regedit, then select Registry Editor (Desktop app) from the results.Right-click Start , then select Run. Type regedit in the Open: box, and then select OK.

How do I import a registry file?

reg file:In the View List under Configure the Target System, click Registry.In the Feature list, select the feature into which you want to import the . reg file.In the Destination computer's Registry view pane, right-click the registry key under which you want your registry data added and then click Import REG File.

Which command can be used to Export a registry key from a running machine?

You can export a specific key with the following example command regedit /e keybackup. reg HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Edge. Specify the location of the SYSTEM.

How do I copy a registry in Windows 10?

How do I import the registry in Windows 10?

0:221:26How to Import Windows Registry Files - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipKey go to start. We're going to go to run. And type in reg edit for registry editor. And press okMoreKey go to start. We're going to go to run. And type in reg edit for registry editor. And press ok this pulls up the windows registry the registry is information about your computer that microsoft

How do I find my exported registry files?

To view the contents of a REG file, right-click it in File Explorer and select “Edit.” This will open it in Notepad. Note: If you don't see the “Edit” option, the REG file may be inside a ZIP archive. You may need to extract the REG file from the ZIP archive before continuing.

How do I copy a registry key to another location?

How do I import a registry File?

How do I open register?

In the search box on the taskbar, type regedit, then select Registry Editor (Desktop app) from the results. Right-click Start , then select Run. Type regedit in the Open: box, and then select OK.

What is Windows registry used for?

The Registry contains information that Windows continually references during operation, such as profiles for each user, the applications installed on the computer and the types of documents that each can create, property sheet settings for folders and application icons, what hardware exists on the system, and the ports ...

How to copy a reg file to a computer?

Copy the ".reg" file to the destination computer using email, direct transfer over a network or removable media such as a USB thumb drive or CD. Double-click the ".reg" file to import the file into the destination computer's registry or open "regedit" and click "File," "Import" and select the ".reg" file.

How to save registry file?

Type a file name for the registry file in the "File Name" text field. Select a file type to save the exported registry as in the "Save As Type" drop-down menu; the best option is to use "Registration Files (*.reg)." Click "Save."

How to export registry?

Where is the registry located?

The Windows registry is a central location where system and installed program configuration information is stored . This information is stored in files known as "hives" on the hard drive.

What is a.reg file?

Information in the registry can be imported and exported to ".reg" files that can be transferred and loaded into the registry of another computer. Advertisement.

What is reg query?

Reference article for the reg query command, which returns a list of the next tier of subkeys and entries that are located under a specified subkey in the registry.

What is reg load command?

Reference article for the reg load command, which writes saved subkeys and entries into a different subkey in the registry.

How to back up the registry?

To back up the entire registry — Locate Computer by scrolling to the very top of the left side of the registry (where all the "folders" are). To back up a specific registry key — Drill down through the folders until you find the key you're after. Not sure what to back up?

How to export a registry key?

From the Registry Editor menu, choose File and then Export. You can also right-click or tap-and-hold the key and then choose Export . In the Export Registry File window that appears, double-check that the Selected branch identified at the bottom is, in fact, the registry key that you want to back up. If you're making a full backup of the registry, ...

Why do I name my registry backup?

This name can be anything because it's just for you to remember what the exported registry file is for . If you're backing up the whole Windows Registry, you might name it something like Complete Registry Backup. If the backup is for a specific key only, I'd name the backup the same name as the key that you plan on editing. Attaching the current date at the end isn't a bad idea either.

Why is it important to back up your registry?

The settings in the registry control much of what goes on in Windows, so having it working correctly at all times is important.

How to start registry editor?

Execute regedit to start Registry Editor . The quickest way to do this is to launch the command from the Run dialog box, which you can access via the WIN+R keyboard shortcut.

How long does it take to back up a registry?

Select Save. If you chose to back up the entire registry, expect this process to take several seconds or longer. A single or small collection of registry keys should export instantly.

Is it bad that Microsoft didn't design Registry Editor?

It's too bad Microsoft didn't design Registry Editor to prompt you to back up before you make changes - they really should have.

How to restore previous version of registry?

Select the restore point, which includes the backup of the Registry. Click the Next button. Click the Finish button. Once you've completed the steps , your computer will need to reboot to complete restoring the previous version of the Registry without affecting your files.

How to restore a full backup of Windows 10?

To restore a full backup of the Registry, you can also use the System Restore utility within the Windows 10 desktop with these steps: Open Start. Search for Create a restore point, and click the top result to open the experience. Click the System Restore button. Click the Next button.

What to do if you can't boot into Windows 10?

If you're not able to boot into Windows 10, you'll need to access the Advanced Startup environment to use System Restore to recover the Registry , which you can do in at least two different ways.

When to select the latest restore point?

Quick Tip: If it's been some time since you created the restore point, and the system has a newer backup , it's best to select the latest restore point.

Where is the repair button on my computer?

Click the Repair your computer option in the bottom-left corner.

Can you use System Restore to restore a database?

Although there are several methods (including third-party tools) to backup this database, you can use System Restore to quickly backup and restore the entire Registry.

Can Windows 10 restore points be created automatically?

As a result of enabling the system protection feature, in addition to creating backups of the Registry manually, Windows 10 will now be able to create restore points automatically during certain events (such as during system updates and app installs), which you can also use to undo changes on your computer.

Why is the registry unique?

The reason is that the Registry is unique to the specific computer; the identifiers to the hardware and software are unique. For similar applications, it might be possible to export single-line registry entries to modify a Registry key or to add the equivalent of an old-fashioned macro. But beware that manuall.

Can you copy a program from one computer to another?

And software developers may very well deliberately make it as difficult as possible to copy a program from one computer to another, because there’s then nothing to stop you using the program on both. If it’s commercial software, which you have to pay for, that’s piracy.

Do you need to copy the registry?

The registry itself is likely to do you no good unless everything is exactly the same between the two computers — and if it were, you wouldn’t need to copy the registry, because it would be exactly the same.

Can you copy an entire operating system?

If you want to copy your entire operating system, not only one piece of software, there are disc cloning tools which allow you to do that , such as PING, Clonezilla, PartImage and FOG. If you have a network of identical computers you can set up one reference computer in exactly the way that you want it, and then clone the OS and all the data on the hard drive onto every other computer on the network. FOG apparently can clone 1000 computers automatically overnight.

Can you use a registry editor to patch a patch?

Don’t. Use a registry editor to patch small parts of it, keep a roll-back copy and learn what everything in that patch does first.

How do I export my entire registry?

Open the Registry Editor. Select the appropriate registry key, or My Computer (to export the entire registry) Select File, Export from the menu bar or right-click on the appropriate registry key and select Export. Browse to the directory to save the file to and enter a File name. Click OK to create the export file.

How do I export a specific registry key?

When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to the key that you would like to export. In our example, we are going to export the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management key. When at the key you wish to export, right-click on the key name and select Export as shown below.

How do I import a registry entry?

In the View List under Configure the Target System, click Registry. In the Feature list, select the feature into which you want to import the . reg file. In the Destination computer’s Registry view pane, right-click the registry key under which you want your registry data added and then click Import REG File.

How do I export my entire registry from the command line?

How do I restore my registry?

Restoring the Windows registry backup Open the Windows Registry Editor by doing either of the following: Click File > Import. Select the directory where the registry backup will be imported (e.g. desktop) and select the registry backup. Click Open. Restart your computer to begin using the restored registry.

Can you copy a registry key?

How do I open my registry from another computer?

How to open a registry file from a crashed computer Open the registry editor. Select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE branch. Go to the FILE menu and choose LOAD HIVE. Browse to the location of the old registry hive. You’ll get a dialog asking for a key name. Find the key (s) you are looking for and Export (File menu).

Where Is the Windows Registry Stored?

The SAM, SECURITY, SOFTWARE, SYSTEM, and DEFAULT registry files, among others, are stored in newer versions of Windows (Windows XP through Windows 11) in the %SystemRoot%System32Config folder.

What is the registry of a computer?

The Windows Registry is a collection of databases of configuration settings for Microsoft Windows operating systems .

How to access registry editor?

Instead, it can be accessed by executing regedit from the Command Prompt or from the search or Run box from the Start menu. See How to Open Registry Editor if you need help.

What is the registry file for Windows 3.11?

Windows 3.11 uses only one registry file for the entire Windows Registry, called REG.DAT .

What does changing registry values do?

Making changes to registry values solves a problem, answers a question, or alters a program in some way:

Where is the registry editor located?

Technically, the registry is the collective name for various database files located in the Windows installation directory.

When you make changes to nearly any setting, are they also made to the appropriate areas in the registry?

When you make changes to nearly any setting, changes are also made to the appropriate areas in the registry, though these changes are sometimes not realized until you reboot the computer . Considering how important the Windows Registry is, backing up the parts of it you're changing, before you change them, is very important.